1988 HONDA CIVIC — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 46 complaints · 8 recalls
Most-reported system: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL (13 complaints · 28.3%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 4
  • Fires 1
  • Injuries 9
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 1987 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL appears in 13 of 46 owner complaints (28.3%) in this vehicle snapshot. VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 13 complaints, 28.3% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 13 · 28.3% · 1 crash reports SEAT BELTS: 8 complaints, 17.4% of reports SEAT BELTS 8 · 17.4% · 3 crash reports FUEL SYSTEM: 7 complaints, 15.2% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 7 · 15.2% · 1 fire reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 6 complaints, 13.0% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 6 · 13.0% ENGINE: 3 complaints, 6.5% of reports ENGINE 3 · 6.5% STRUCTURE: 2 complaints, 4.4% of reports STRUCTURE 2 · 4.4% POWER TRAIN: 1 complaints, 2.2% of reports POWER TRAIN 1 · 2.2% SUSPENSION: 1 complaints, 2.2% of reports SUSPENSION 1 · 2.2% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 36 complaints, 78.3% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 36 · 78.3% · 3 crash reports 1 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 13 28.3% 1 crashes · 0 fires
SEAT BELTS 8 17.4% 3 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 7 15.2% 0 crashes · 1 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 6 13.0% 0 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 3 6.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
STRUCTURE 2 4.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 1 2.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SUSPENSION 1 2.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 36 78.3% 3 crashes · 1 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 1995; the first recall shown was reported in Oct 1987. 1995-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 1995-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 1995-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 1995-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 1996-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 1996-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 1996-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 1997-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 1998-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 1998-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 1999-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 1999-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 1999-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2000-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2000-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2001-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2002-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2003-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Oct 1987 May 2009 Recall campaign 87V171000 ◆ Recall campaign 87V171000 Recall campaign 87V173000 ◆ Recall campaign 87V173000 Recall campaign 95V103001 ◆ Recall campaign 95V103001 Recall campaign 06E026000 ◆ Recall campaign 06E026000 Recall campaign 06E032000 ◆ Recall campaign 06E032000 Recall campaign 06E049000 ◆ Recall campaign 06E049000 Recall campaign 09E012000 ◆ Recall campaign 09E012000 Recall campaign 09E025000 ◆ Recall campaign 09E025000 Investigation PE93082 ● Investigation PE93082 Investigation PE94052 ● Investigation PE94052 Investigation EA94035 ● Investigation EA94035
  • Campaign 95V103001 was reported 131 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1995-Q1 Owner reports 4
1995-Q2 Owner reports 2
1995-Q3 Owner reports 3
1995-Q4 Owner reports 3
1996-Q1 Owner reports 4
1996-Q2 Owner reports 1
1996-Q4 Owner reports 3
1997-Q3 Owner reports 1
1998-Q3 Owner reports 5
1998-Q4 Owner reports 2
1999-Q1 Owner reports 2
1999-Q2 Owner reports 2
1999-Q3 Owner reports 4
2000-Q2 Owner reports 1
2000-Q3 Owner reports 2
2001-Q1 Owner reports 2
2002-Q3 Owner reports 2
2003-Q4 Owner reports 1
2006-Q3 Owner reports 1
2009-Q2 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 87V171000
Recall campaign 1 87V173000
Recall campaign 1 95V103001
Recall campaign 1 06E026000
Recall campaign 1 06E032000
Recall campaign 1 06E049000
Recall campaign 1 09E012000
Recall campaign 1 09E025000
Defect investigation 1 PE93082
Defect investigation 1 PE94052
Defect investigation 1 EA94035
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (8)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 06E026000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
    Remedy:
    PRO-A MOTORS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE THE LAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 3, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PRO-A MOTORS AT 323-838-2988.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 06E032000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
    Remedy:
    TOM MOTORSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE PURCHASE OF NONCOMPLIANT LIGHTS. THE RECALL BEGAN APRIL 17, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOM MOTORSPORT AT 626-968-4007.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 06E049000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
    Remedy:
    CK MOTORSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE NONCOMPLIANT LAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 1, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CK MOTORSPORT AT 1-909-610-7211.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 09E012000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 09E025000

    Report date
    Component:
    EXTERIOR LIGHTING
    Consequence:
    DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DOPE, INC. WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 28, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DOPE, INC. AT 1-626-272-1798.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  6. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 87V171000

    Report date
    Component:
    EQUIPMENT
    Consequence:
    VEHICLES MANUAL INFORMATION DOES NOT COMPLY WITH FMVSS210.
    Remedy:
    UPGRADE EXISTING MANUALS BY INSERTING ADHESIVE BACKED CORRECTION PAGES.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  7. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 87V173000

    Report date
    Component:
    VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
    Consequence:
    HIGHER THAN NORMAL IDLE COULD CREATE POTENTIAL FOR LOSSOF VEHICLE CONTROL.
    Remedy:
    REPLACE ELECTRONIC FUEL INJECTION CONTROL UNIT.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  8. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 95V103001

    Report date
    Component:
    SEAT BELTS
    Consequence:
    THE SAFETY BELTS WOULD NOT PROVIDE ADEQUATE PROTECTION TO AN OCCUPANT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    OWNERS SHOULD PROMPTLY CHECK THE CONDITION AND OPERATION OF BOTH FRONT SAFETY BELT BUCKLES. CAREFULLY INSPECT THE RED RELEASE BUTTON FOR ANY BREAKS OR CRACKS. CHECK THAT BOTH BUCKLES ARE OPERATING PROPERLY BY INSERTING EACH LATCH PLATE INTO ITS BUCKLE, TUG ON THE BELT TO MAKE SURE THE LATCH IS SECURELY LOCKED, THEN PRESS THE RELEASE BUTTON. THE LATCH PLATE SHOULD POP OUT OF THE BUCKLE WHEN THE BUTTON IS PRESSED. IF EITHER RELEASE BUTTON SHOWS ANY SIGN OF BREAKAGE OR CRACKING, OR IF EITHER BUCKLE FAILS TO OPERATE PROPERLY, PROMPTLY CONTACT YOUR AUTHORIZED HONDA/ACURA DEALER TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT TO HAVE THE BUCKLE REPLACED OR REPAIRED, FREE OF CHARGE. THE MANUFACTURER IS DEVELOPING A REMEDY DESIGNED TO PREVENT THE FAILURE OF THE BUTTONS THAT ARE NOT CURRENTLY BROKEN.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 46 complaints · page 1 of 2

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources